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Where do most re-sellers get their stock?

high5debrahigh5debra Member Posts: 16
in Buying & Selling Topics
I recently bought a sealed Shuttle Tydirium off of Ebay (from someone with good feedback) for $75, which included shipping.  The set hasn't been out for very long yet, so I can't imagine that the set was on sale or anything after only a month.  So how is someone able to sell a $100 set for $60 (since their shipping cost was $15)?  Or did I buy a stolen Lego set?  Any re-sellers want to tip me off on their secrets?  Just curious.....

Comments

  • 12651265 Member Posts: 1,156
    You can fry an egg it's so hot!!  Seriously, not to pass judgement....yes I will, but it does seem like a curling iron hot type of item.
    JELJ1S
  • BuriedinBricksBuriedinBricks Member Posts: 1,367
    Is there any indication on the packaging that would hint at it having come from a retailer? If so, there's a good chance you just purchased a "drop shipped" item, where the seller bought it using a stolen credit card and had it shipped to your address. 


    juggles7Pitfall69BumblepantsJELJ1S
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    edited September 2015
    Lego does still sell product wholesale to retailers.  They generally frown on selling via eBay.  I don't know any retailers that sell below the MSRP, particularly on eBay.

    Employees get a substantial discount, but are also discouraged from selling on eBay.  

    Without more detail on the seller, it's tough to say.

    Definitely could be stolen merchandise as well...
  • AllBrickAllBrick Member Posts: 1,497
    Seller may have received more than one for their birthday.

    Seller may have "found" sets by the back door of a TRU.

    Seller is a generous soul and is making a loss on every set.

    Bottom line is, you got a deal.
    madforLEGOTheBigLegoskibobabricks
  • BanditBandit Member Posts: 889
    I guarantee you there is a 100% chance that was stolen. 
  • AleyditaAleydita Member Posts: 952
    I've bought new items at 50% off in Tesco before today - their mistake putting new stock out during a half price toy sale. It doesn't necessarily have to be stolen to be a good deal.
  • Pitfall69Pitfall69 Member Posts: 11,454
    Lot's of tangents we can go with this thread.

    I highly doubt that this person is a distributor that gets Lego at wholesale and is selling on Ebay.

    I doubt this person got a Lego set that they didn't want and was selling it on Ebay:

    1) Why would someone go through the trouble listing on Ebay, paying fees, packing, shipping and risking getting a return back????Easier to get store credit without a gift receipt or get the full price with a gift receipt.

    You are in US correct? Odds are you bought from a US seller, so no 50% deals here on new Lego. Even at 50% off, you aren't getting a profit on a $75 USD sale and $15 shipping. 

    It is difficult to speculate further without knowing who the seller is and what other products they have for sale. My guess is that you got caught up in a drop ship scam.
    juggles7
  • high5debrahigh5debra Member Posts: 16
    I just looked him up again.  He has physical copies of 2 of the newer Star Wars sets (that haven't been released yet) for $200.  So I would assume he's got some sort of connection to suppliers.  (Legal or not, I don't know.)

    So is this a moral dilemma for some of you?  Is a Good Deal always a Good Deal?  Or do you hold off if you think it was obtained in a shady way?
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    high5debra said:
    So is this a moral dilemma for some of you?  Is a Good Deal always a Good Deal?  Or do you hold off if you think it was obtained in a shady way?
    personally I'd rather wait for a good, legitimate deal or pay a bit more than risk having issues with credit card fraud or handling stolen goods.
    Pitfall69DedgeckoSumoLegokiki180703MasterBeefydougtsjuggles7DeMontes
  • NorlegoNorlego Member Posts: 449
    It is very difficult to know what is legitimate these days. There are "Apple" stores in China selling fake Apple products. A tourist would not know any different.

    I read somewhere that Lego employees get 50% off, but are told not to resell it.

    Not everybody whom sells things, sell with a profit in mind. I often sell things cheaply to get rid of them.

    I suppose it is a bit strange to have 2 more sets for sale, that should rule out gift option.

    A shop might of closed and the seller got hold of some legitimate stock cheaply.

    If it is sold with a stolen credit card, I would assume it is risky to sell it on Ebay as you have to give your personal details away.
    jesirosekiki180703TheBigLegoski
  • Pitfall69Pitfall69 Member Posts: 11,454
    ^Toy r Us also has strict rules about employees selling anything "toy related" on Ebay. 
  • Sethro3Sethro3 Member Posts: 999
    So you're saying I should just get a part-time job at TRU or LEGO and get sets that way?
  • CrowkillersCrowkillers Member Posts: 757
    There are some sellers that have that have sold that set cheaper than that... Prices seem to be all over the place.. Average selling price with free shipping seems to be around $80..
  • CrowkillersCrowkillers Member Posts: 757
    edited September 2015
    When the 42039 24 hour race car was released last spring, it was not available here in the United States until just a few weeks ago... However I was buying them 4 at a time from a Bricklink store in Austria for $365 with shipping included.. The cost on this set here is $129.99, so it was a significant amount in savings.. I wouldn't doubt it if people are legitimately buying this Star Wars set and reselling them.. There seem to be a ton of them on Ebay..
  • wagnerml2wagnerml2 Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2015
    I do think that one thing we do here too much is give people too much credit.  Those of us who resell here mostly have a strong understanding of how the business model works and where the opportunity costs are hidden.  We make decisions on what to buy and sell and how much to charge for it.  For the most part here, the community is very free with advice and information as to how to take what you do and do it better.

    Others are not quite as thorough as to how they approach reselling.  Some people don't adequately take into account the fees and shipping involved.  They either haven't thought about it, or don't care.  You see this when people get a stash or rarer polys and then load them all on bricklink for 25 cents over what they paid.  By the time you take out all the fees, they are losing money, but they do it anyway. So maybe that is the case here.  Someone who may not be all that sophisticated.

    That said, I think that set is hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July.
    CCCCrowkillersjuggles7
  • SprinkleOtterSprinkleOtter Member Posts: 2,779
    There is the off chance that it was bought/given as a gift, then the person was trying to get rid of their LEGO sets, and they sold it with the lot. Or it was a gift, and they didn't know where or how to return it.
  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,696
    @high5debra  Did the package come straight from Lego? 
  • high5debrahigh5debra Member Posts: 16
    Nope.  Came from a guy named lopezleggos.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/171914105655


  • AllBrickAllBrick Member Posts: 1,497
    2 old sayings spring to mind........

    Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
    &
    Ignorance is bliss. 
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,793
    Hmm, I hate to say it, but lack of a good description in the listing does not bode well in my eyes.


  • NorlegoNorlego Member Posts: 449
    The guy has been selling a lot of Lego lately judging by feedback. He cant be drop shipping that sort of amount. So he has bought up stock somewhere. Could be stolen of course, but is it sensible to sell stolen Lego in a big way on Ebay? You would think that the shop/distributor keeps an eye on Ebay etc when things are stolen.

    It might just be the guy got lucky and got hold of some stock from a shop/warehouse that needed cash quick. If you buy in bulk you do get discounts.

    The lack of description is common on EBay. Say to much and people will open a case if they can pick on a detail you have missed.


  • BumblepantsBumblepants Member Posts: 7,637
    AllBrick said:
    2 old sayings spring to mind........

    Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
    &
    Ignorance is bliss. 
    Ignorance is bliss until [email protected] bans you after stolen goods were sent to your address. Not always the case in a scenario like this but more often then not too-good-to-be-true prices on current sets are dropshiped via stolen credit cards.
  • pharmjodpharmjod Member Posts: 2,916
    I responded to a craigslist ad for that set and about 5 others at half off or better. Seller wouldn't tell me where they were located (General area) other than they were mobile. I asked why selling so cheap and they never responded. =)
  • vwong19vwong19 Member Posts: 1,191
    Apparently all you need is a $5 TRU rewards coupon and you get $200 off.... See WallE thread if you are confused.
    pharmjodSumoLegoadukJern92
  • Farmer_JohnFarmer_John Member Posts: 2,405
    A nightmare (and not unlikely) scenario:

    Imagine you've just won the Bat-Pod giveaway...only one of 750 sets to be given away in North America (USA and Canada). A few weeks later you notice that there's a NISB Shuttle Tydirium on eBay for only $75. You jump on the item and it arrives at your door in perfect condition, BUT you notice that the sender's address and the receipt are identical to TLGs. You realize it's been drop shipped and you decide (or not) to do the right thing and contact TLG to return the item. TLG thanks you for your honesty and sends you the shipping labels to return the item. The carrier picks it up and you pat yourself for doing the right thing (which you should). Several weeks go by and your Bat-Pod doesn't arrive. You go ahead and email TLG about your MIA Bat-Pod and they respond: "We regret to inform you that your account has been suspended. Due to this fact, you have forfeited your Bat-Pod to another eligible participant. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance."

    I had something similar happen to me a few years ago, only it was a great deal on a GG just before it went EOL. It was my introduction to drop shippers, and I found out that merely receiving an order from drop shippers can bite you no matter how you deal with them. The moral of the story is that if the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
    SumoLego
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,229
    This is why I avoid drop shipping, even if it saves me $30.00 on a trade.

    Or I provide a reciept.
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